Domain Rating: What It Is and How to Improve Yours

What is Domain Rating?

Domain Rating (DR) is a metric that reflects the strength of a website’s backlink profile compared to all other sites in a given database on a scale from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the stronger and more authoritative the backlink profile is considered to be.

DR does not impact your rankings directly—search engines don’t use it as a ranking factor. It’s a third-party metric designed to give marketers a quick sense of how authoritative a domain might be, which is especially useful in activities like:

• Identifying quality link opportunities
• Analyzing competitors’ backlink profiles
• Selecting trustworthy partners for collaborations

A higher DR generally correlates with stronger visibility in search engines, but it’s not a perfect signal. Context, relevance, and the overall quality of links still matter more than just the quantity or DR alone.

How is Domain Rating Calculated?

Domain Rating is based primarily on the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to a site. Here’s a simplified breakdown of how it’s calculated:

1. Quantity of referring domains: The more unique websites linking to you, the better—especially if they are also high-authority domains.
2. Authority of those referring domains: Links from strong sites with high DR pass on more “link equity” than those from weaker ones.
3. DoFollow links: Only DoFollow links contribute to DR. NoFollow links, although still useful for referral traffic or brand exposure, don’t transfer authority.
4. Dilution of link equity: If a site links to thousands of domains, the value of each outbound link gets diluted. Fewer outbound links mean more authority passed per link.

It’s also important to note that DR is logarithmic—not linear. Going from DR 20 to 30 is much easier than going from 70 to 80. Each jump gets exponentially harder as you climb the scale.

What’s a Good Domain Rating?

The definition of a “good” DR depends on your niche, competition, and goals. For example:

• DR 0–30: New or smaller websites with limited backlink profiles.
• DR 30–50: Moderately authoritative—usually enough to compete in low-to-medium competition niches.
• DR 50–70: Strong authority; competitive in most industries.
• DR 70+: Typical of major publishers, SaaS brands, or extremely well-known sites.

Instead of obsessing over absolute numbers, focus on comparative metrics. If your competitors’ average DR is 40 and yours is 25, you have room to grow. But if you’re already above your industry benchmark, investing elsewhere—like content quality or technical SEO—might provide better ROI.

Why Domain Rating Matters for SEO

While DR itself isn’t a Google ranking factor, it serves as a proxy for one of the most important ranking signals: backlinks. High DR websites tend to:

• Attract backlinks more easily (people trust, cite, and reference them)
• Rank higher for competitive keywords
• Get content indexed faster by search engines
• Have higher crawl budgets (Google pays more attention)

That said, DR alone won’t take you far. It’s just one part of a well-rounded SEO strategy. But when paired with great content, technical optimization, and solid UX, a strong DR can give your site the competitive edge.

How to Increase Your Domain Rating

DR improves when new high-quality DoFollow links from unique domains point to your site. Here’s how to put that into action:

1. Create Link-Worthy Content

Nothing attracts links like exceptional content. Focus on formats that naturally earn backlinks:

• Data studies: Publish original research or analyze industry trends using public datasets.
• Guides and tutorials: Solve a specific problem better than anyone else.
• Tools and templates: Practical assets encourage shares and mentions.
• Infographics: Combine data and design to make information digestible and attractive.

Before promoting content, make sure it actually offers value. Would your industry peers naturally want to share it? If not, improve it.

2. Build Links Through Outreach

Even great content needs a push. Use targeted outreach to let other site owners know your resource exists:

• Broken link building: Find dead links on relevant pages and suggest your content as a replacement.
• Guest posting: Write valuable articles for quality sites in your niche and include a contextual link back.
• Skyscraper technique: Find top-performing content, create a better version, and pitch it to people linking to the original.

Personalization matters. A thoughtful 1:1 email with a genuine pitch outperforms mass outreach every time.

3. Get Featured in Roundups and Resource Pages

There are curated pages for almost every niche:

• “Best tools for [industry]”
• “Top influencers in [topic]”
• “Expert tips from [group]”

To land features on these pages, search Google with queries like:

“best [topic] tools” inurl:resources
[topic] intitle:roundup

Then pitch your inclusion. Explain why your site deserves a spot, and what makes it uniquely useful.

4. Leverage Existing Relationships

You’re likely already collaborating with customers, partners, vendors, and colleagues. These people already know and trust your brand—but have you asked them for backlinks?

Consider:

• Getting listed as a trusted partner
• Writing testimonials in exchange for a link
• Co-authoring a blog post or webinar

Start with the low-hanging fruit—your network is usually the easiest place to get initial links.

5. Monitor Competitor Link Profiles

If sites similar to yours are building high-quality backlinks, that’s a sign you can do it too. Analyze competitor domains to uncover:

• Where they’re getting links from
• Gap opportunities (sites linking to them but not you)
• Strategies they use that you can replicate

Pay special attention to new and lost links over time. It’s often possible to reclaim links from outdated or broken competitor pages.

Why Your Domain Rating Might Not Change Quickly

DR doesn’t update in real time and is influenced by:

• Link growth across the entire index–if everyone else is acquiring more links, you’re competing in a rising tide.
• Internal adjustments to the algorithm or index size.
• The dilution effect–getting links from weaker or heavily outbound-linked sites may not move the needle.

Instead of obsessing over the number each week, track your DR trend over time, and pair it with real metrics like organic traffic, ranking improvements, and backlink growth.

Key Takeaways

• Domain Rating is a backlink metric that estimates your site’s authority compared to others.
• It matters because it correlates with your ability to compete for high-value organic rankings.
• You can improve your DR by earning high-quality, DoFollow backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites.
• Growth takes time—focus on creating valuable content, building meaningful relationships, and earning links naturally.

While DR is helpful for benchmarking progress, your ultimate goal should be better visibility, more traffic, and stronger business outcomes. Focus there. DR will follow.